Contact Info

Harmer Lab,

1002 Life Sciences Addition,

UC Davis,

One Shields Avenue,

Davis, CA 95616

majonesatucdavisdotedu

Research interests

The circadian clock acts to optimise the cellular behaviour of an organism so that it corresponds with the predictable environmental variation induced by the diurnal cycle. Whilst extensive genetic analyses have identified multiple genes involved in the plant circadian clock the precise mechanism by which these factors interact remains unclear. My current work involves characterisation of additional components of the plant circadian clock which will provide further insight into the workings of the central oscillator.

Some of the feedback loops that form the Arabidopsis circadian clock. See [1] for more detail

Education

My graduate studies focused upon the plant blue light photoreceptor phototropin. Phototropin light sensitivity is derived from the action of two highly conserved regions known as LOV domains which upon light absorption induce activity of an integral serine/threonine kinase. My project examined the mechanism by which the LOV domains regulate kinase activity. I was able to show that the introduction of a point mutation within the second LOV domain was sufficient to mitigate light-mediated phototropin kinase activation.